That has not stopped France's much-garlanded world heavyweight champion Teddy Riner from throwing his hat into the ring for next April's presidential race.
asserted
That → stop → race
The Guadeloupe-born 37-year-old may have no experience of public office, no party behind him, and as yet no manifesto.
uncertain
old → bear → him
aime (The France we love), a declaration on social media, and a campaign visit to a hospital in the Seine-Saint-Denis suburb of northern Paris
asserted
we → love → Paris
But it would be a foolhardy pundit who would totally write off his chances.
asserted
who → write → chances
Riner is, after all, one of the most popular figures in modern-day France, regularly topping the polls for embodying the nation's "values".
asserted
Riner → top → values
He is a proven winner, with five Olympic golds and 11 world championships under his belt, as well as a successful career in business.
asserted
He → prove → business
More than 28 million people have watched his election broadcast on Instagram and X, shot with proper presidential decorum against a backdrop of books and a French flag.
asserted
people → watch → books
Some 22% told an Ifop poll within 24 hours they "could" vote for him.
uncertain
they → tell → him
Actors and television personalities have become presidents in other countries.
asserted
Actors → become → countries
"Anyone who thinks that being out of the political in-crowd disqualifies Riner from running for the Élysée would be very wrong," says Guillaume Tabard of Le Figaro.
asserted
Tabard → think → Figaro
"But [Riner] too would be wrong if he thinks not belonging to the in-crowd is all it takes."
For now the whole of the French political world has decided to take the Riner candidacy seriously – or at least to pretend to.
asserted
whole → think → candidacy
That is partly because he is such a popular personality that mocking his political hopes could easily rebound badly.
uncertain
mocking → mock → hopes
But it is also because the state of French politics – outside of the burgeoning forces of the hard left and hard right – is one of total disarray.
asserted
state → burgeon → disarray
The centre-ground is floundering, with no candidate yet emerging who can inspire anything like the sense of mission of hard-right leader Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon on the hard left, who for now look set to face off in the final round of the presidential election in May.
uncertain
who → flounder → May
So when a popular figure like Riner enters the race - proclaiming himself "neither left, nor right", wanting to "unite the country" and "put money back in people's pockets", railing equally against "racists" and "yobs who scare people off our streets" – politicians have to take note.
asserted
politicians → enter → note
It is perfectly possible, probable even, that Riner's campaign will fizzle out after a brief period of hype, and that the judoka will after all be a joker in the pack.
asserted
judoka → fizzle → pack
But it is also possible that it won't, in which case the pre-election arithmetic will need a hasty readjustment: and it won't be the centrists who are smiling.
asserted
who → need → readjustment
Thus far, Riner has shown himself a master of the codes required for this kind of out-of-nowhere candidacy, the first of which is to press home the message: "Don't Worry! I'm NOT a Politician!"
asserted
I → show → message
In this day and age in France, anyone who smacks of the "system" is automatically downgraded in voters' eyes, so it is important to emphasise that you are only running for office because, one, you have experienced real life (unlike those loafers in Paris); and two, you have discovered that there are solutions out there for the country's many problems.
asserted
you → smack → problems
All this Riner was able to express in last Monday's social media broadcast by using sophisticated rhetorical devices.
asserted
Riner → express → devices
"People say I am a fool for wanting to run for the presidency," he said.
asserted
he → say → presidency
Well, if refusing to see France sink under the weight of debt; refusing to see mothers and fathers grit their teeth every time they do their weekly shop, and tremble with fear when their kids go out on the street…
asserted
kids → refuse → street
if all that means being a fool, then yes call me a fool."
asserted
that → mean → me
It was a promising oratorial start for the sportsman, and certainly attracted the viewers.
But if he is serious – and Riner says he never does anything half-heartedly - that's not how he became an Olympic champion – then the hard work begins now.
asserted
work → attract → anything
What does Riner actually want to do?
asserted
Riner → want → What
Where does he position himself on the all-consuming matters of the day: pension-reform, investment in education, the cost of living, public debt, the rise of populism or Russia's war in Ukraine?
asserted
he → position → Ukraine
In short, how does he intend to transform his undeniable popularity as a sporting figure into a political mandate?
asserted
he → intend → mandate
Broadly, Riner appears to be on the right on economic matters and law and order, but being black and of Caribbean background he is also very strong on racism.
asserted
he → appear → racism
When he says he is anti-extremism, he is referring mainly to Marine Le Pen.
asserted
he → say → Pen
The trouble is, this is already an extremely crowded area, with important figures like ex-prime ministers Edouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal signally failing to take off.
asserted
Philippe → fail → figures
The latest possible addition is Christine Lagarde, who steps down as head of the European Central Bank next February.
asserted
who → step → Bank
The addition of yet another contender will dilute their polling numbers even further, making a second-round qualification for Mélenchon more likely.
asserted
qualification → dilute → Mélenchon
So no wonder the leader of France Unbowed (LFI) seemed so happy about Riner's decision to run.
asserted
leader → seem → decision
"We know how it goes: neither right nor left means not left," Mélenchon told reporters on Friday.
asserted
Mélenchon → know → Friday
The only other politician who seems genuinely pleased, rather than putting on a fixed smile, is President Emmanuel Macron, who said Riner was a "great champion" and that politics "did not belong to the professionals".
asserted
politics → seem → professionals
That could be explained by the president's cool relations with his former prime ministers, Philippe and Attal, both of whom are doing all they can to distance themselves from their unpopular one-time boss.
uncertain
they → explain → boss
Riner said he viewed Macron's praise as a "poisoned chalice", telling reporters on Saturday that he was "not the president's envoy, I'm not a Macronist".
asserted
I → say → Saturday
Politics and judo have very little in common, but of the two, as Riner will soon discover, the more vicious is not the one that is fought out hand-to-hand after mutual acknowledgement on the tatami mat.
asserted
that → have → mat
In Japanese, judo actually means "the gentle way".
asserted
judo → mean → way
If he starts looking like a serious candidate, Riner must know his life will be turned upside down, not just his physical form.
asserted
life → start → candidate
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
